Parameters for scale-up of lethal microwave treatment to eradicate cerambycid larvae infesting solid wood packing materials

Abstract

The use of microwave irradiation to eradicate insects infesting wood used to manufacture packing materials such as pallets and crates was evaluated. The focus of this preliminary study was to determine which microwave parameters, including chamber-volume to sample-volume ratios, variations of power and time, and energy density (total microwave power/wood volume), affect the lethal mi- crowave dose required for laboratory-size samples of red pine infested with cerambycid larvae. Energy density was an acceptable pa- rameter to predict lethal 2.45 GHz microwave doses when wood moisture content was held constant. Studies designed to verify these results using commercial-size loads are in progress.